And this decision today is really - you got to take a couple of steps back and look at it in the context of the combined arms training that we're doing with Ukrainian battalions right now outside the country. They believe - and we believe they're right to believe - that in the spring and the summer months, that they are going to face Russia coming back in an offensive way and that they want to be able to conduct offensive operations of their own. And they want to do it in a combined arms fashion, which means you need to maneuver in open terrain and on vast parts of ground. And that means you need armored capabilities like the Bradleys and the Strykers we've sent. And that, of course, includes tanks. So this decision was really the culmination of weeks of diplomatic conversations about how do we help Ukraine in the fight that we expect them to be in when the winter fades and spring and summer months come.
But the difference is Ukraine is at war. And they are in the midst of an invasion by a hostile neighboring power, and they are losing civilians and troops every day. So we need to make sure that we tailor the delivery of Ukraines in a way - I'm sorry, Abrams, pardon me - that we deliver the - that we tailor the delivery of Abrams tanks in a way that the Ukrainians can absorb it effectively. So that's why we're going to start with this battalion. That's why it's going to take many months for them to get there.
We gave them the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion, so that it wasn't...
...Some symbolic gesture. It was actually - have operational impact.
And this decision today is really - you got to take a couple of steps back and look at it in the context of the combined arms training that we're doing with Ukrainian battalions right now outside the country. They believe - and we believe they're right to believe - that in the spring and the summer months, that they are going to face Russia coming back in an offensive way and that they want to be able to conduct offensive operations of their own. And they want to do it in a combined arms fashion, which means you need to maneuver in open terrain and on vast parts of ground. And that means you need armored capabilities like the Bradleys and the Strykers we've sent. And that, of course, includes tanks. So this decision was really the culmination of weeks of diplomatic conversations about how do we help Ukraine in the fight that we expect them to be in when the winter fades and spring and summer months come.
But the difference is Ukraine is at war. And they are in the midst of an invasion by a hostile neighboring power, and they are losing civilians and troops every day. So we need to make sure that we tailor the delivery of Ukraines in a way - I'm sorry, Abrams, pardon me - that we deliver the - that we tailor the delivery of Abrams tanks in a way that the Ukrainians can absorb it effectively. So that's why we're going to start with this battalion. That's why it's going to take many months for them to get there.
We gave them the equivalent of one Ukrainian battalion, so that it wasn't...
KELLY: OK.
KIRBY: ...Some symbolic gesture. It was actually - have operational impact.
And this decision today is really - you got to take a couple of steps back and look at it in the context of the combined arms training that we're doing with Ukrainian battalions right now outside the country. They believe - and we believe they're right to believe - that in the spring and the summer months, that they are going to face Russia coming back in an offensive way and that they want to be able to conduct offensive operations of their own. And they want to do it in a combined arms fashion, which means you need to maneuver in open terrain and on vast parts of ground. And that means you need armored capabilities like the Bradleys and the Strykers we've sent. And that, of course, includes tanks. So this decision was really the culmination of weeks of diplomatic conversations about how do we help Ukraine in the fight that we expect them to be in when the winter fades and spring and summer months come.